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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Edwards to back Obama in US race | Edwards to back Obama in US race |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama is to be backed by former rival John Edwards, his campaign says. | Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama is to be backed by former rival John Edwards, his campaign says. |
| Mr Edwards, who was John Kerry's running-mate in the 2004 presidential race, has been one of the few senior Democrats yet to endorse a candidate. | Mr Edwards, who was John Kerry's running-mate in the 2004 presidential race, has been one of the few senior Democrats yet to endorse a candidate. |
| Correspondents say his endorsement will damage Mr Obama's one remaining rival, Senator Hillary Clinton. | Correspondents say his endorsement will damage Mr Obama's one remaining rival, Senator Hillary Clinton. |
| The endorsement comes a day after Mrs Clinton won the party's primary in West Virginia by a wide margin. | |
| Mrs Clinton, like Mr Obama, had actively sought Mr Edwards's influential endorsement. | Mrs Clinton, like Mr Obama, had actively sought Mr Edwards's influential endorsement. |
| 'Tricky case' | |
| So far in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Mr Obama has won more of the delegates who will choose the party's nominee at the Democratic National Convention this summer. | |
| He has also raised more money than Mrs Clinton. | |
| The Clinton campaign has been hoping that she could pick up more endorsements than Mr Obama from the so-called "super-delegates", who get an automatic vote at the convention by virtue of holding a senior position in the party. | |
| The BBC's Justin Webb says that with Mr Edwards's high-profile endorsement, Mrs Clinton's already difficult case has just become even trickier to make. | |
| Mr Edwards was expected to make his endorsement alongside the Illinois senator at a rally in Michigan later on Wednesday. |